1999 DODGE STRATUS Complaints

I FAILED TO MENTION ON MY COMPLAINT 10003001 THAT I HAD TAKEN MY CAR IN TO BE LOOKED AT DUE TO 'POPPING' IN THE CLUTCH. YOU COULD HEAR AND FEEL THIS POP WHEN SWITCHING GEARS. THIS ISSUE WOULD COME AND GO - NOTHING WAS EVER DONE ABOUT IT. WHY? B/C BY THE TIME I COULD GET AN APPOINTMENT FOR MY CAR THE POPPING WOULD STOP. WE NEVER DID GET IT WHERE THE MECHANIC COULD FIND THE PROBLEM. THIS WOULD OCCUR ON AN IRREGULAR INTRAVALS - AND WOULD LAST MAYBE A DAY - MAYBE UP TO 3 DAYS AND THEN QUIT. WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED AND THE SERVICE GUY AND A MECHANIC HEARD IT - BUT THEY COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT THAT DAY - GAVE ME AN APPOINTMENT TO RETURN FOR THEM TO LOOK AT IT MORE COMPLETELY - BY THEN IT HAD QUIT AND THEY STILL LOOKED IT OVER - COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING THAT LOOKED OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

TOOK CAR IN FOR ROUTINE OIL CHANGE BEFORE TAKING ANOTHER TRIP OUT OF TOWN. THIS WAS JUST 2 MONTHS AFTER HAVING OIL LEAKS REPAIRED AND CLUTCH CABLE REPLACED. DEALERSHIP CHECKED ON CLUTCH CABLE AND ALL WAS FINE, HOWEVER UPON PROCEEDING WITH OIL CHANGE THEY FOUND 2 MORE OIL LEAKS! THESE WERE REPAIRED AND COVERED UNDER POWER TRAIN WARRENTY. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS WARRENTY RUNS OUT?

TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH MY MANUAL TRANSMISSION. UPON LOOKING OVER THE CAR THEY FOUND SEVERAL (ABOUT 4) OIL LEAKS. THESE WERE REPAIRED AND COVERED UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRENTY SINCE MY CAR ONLY HAD A LITTLE OVER 40,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME.

ON JUNE 22, 2002 I WAS DIRVING MY CAR TO WV. HALF WAY THERE THE TRANSMISSION 'POPPED' OUT OF 5TH GEAR. I PULLED OFF AT THE NEXT EXIT IN SEARCH OF ASSISTANCE WHERE I FOUND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT REMAIN IN 3RD GEAR EITHER. IN THIS SMALL TOWN I WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANYONE WHO COULD/WOULD LOOK AT MY CAR SO I PROCEEDED TO CHARLESTON WHERE MY DAD AND A COUSIN WHO COULD LOOK AT MY CAR WERE. IT WAS FOUND THAT MY TRANSMISSION HAD NO FLUID IN IT - SO THIS WAS REPLACED WITH FLUID AS CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL AS POSSIBLE SO WE COULD GET BACK TO RICHMOND. ALL 360 MILES I HAD TO DRIVE HOLDING MY GEAR SHIFT INTO 5TH GEAR OR 3RD GEAR WHEN NEEDED IN ORDER TO MAKE IT HOME. THE DEALERSHIP WAS WONDERFUL! THEY SAID MY CLUTCH CABLE WAS BROKEN AND I HAD SEVERAL OIL LEAKS! THEY REPAIRED EVERYTHING AND IT WAS ALL COVERED UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRENTY. THANK YOU FOR THAT WARRENTY! MY CAR ONLY HAD A LITTLE OVER 40,000 MILES AT THE TIME.

NAR 1/29/2003. THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION WHICH CAUSED $6000.00 IN DAMAGES AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED INJURIES WHICH REQUIRED EXTENSIVE MEDICAL TREATMENT. *JB

CONSUMER EXPERIENCED HEAD GASKET FAILURE. OTHER FAILURES INCLUDED REAR SEAT BELT PROBLEMS, NO POWER ON THE BACK WINDOWS, EGR VALVE FAILURE, TRANSMISSION SHIFTING PROBLEMS AND SPEED SENSOR FAILURE.*JB

IF I REPORTED THIS BEFORE I APOLOGIZE. CAR OVERHEATED ON 10-14-02. PULLED ASIDE LET COOL DOWN. DROVE HOME CHECKED UNDER HOOD. COOLANT IN RESERVOIR, OIL IN ENGINE. STARTED CAR THE NEXT DAY, NO HEAT FROM HEATER, TEMPERATURE GAUGE DID NOT MOVE OFF OF COLD. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, CAR DECELERATED AND OIL PRESSURE LIGHT WENT ON. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD, CALLED FOR TOW. CAR TOWED TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. COMPRESSION TEST DONE, THEY SAID BLOWN HEAD GASKET. TWO DAYS LATER, CAR TOWED TO SELLING DEALERSHIP, AUTHORIZED TEAR DOWN OF ENGINE. THEY STATE CAR OVERHEATED, SEVERELY DAMAGED ENGINE TO POINT WHERE SOME COMPONENT WAS CRYSTALIZING. THEY SAID NOTHING ABOUT A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. DEALER REFUSES TO HELP. DAIMLER CHRYSLER REFUSES TO ASSIST AND WILL NOT EVEN LOOK AT THE CAR. HAVE MADE CALLS TO CHRSYLER CORPORATION CUSTOMER SERVICE AND FILED COMPLAINT, WROTE A LETTER TO CHRYSLER. THEN SENT A FAX TO CHRYSLER ONLY RESPONSE WAS THROUGH DEALERSHIP AND MESSAGE LEFT ON ANSWERING MACHINE. "WON'T ASSIST YOU WON'T LOOK AT CAR. DT

CONSUMER STATE. THE FUEL PUMP WIRE WAS BURNED INSIDE THE GASOLINE TANK, DUE TO THAT DEFECT CAR WAS STALL ON THE ROAD. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. MR

CAR WAS SERVICED ON 09/07/02. ON 10/14/02, LOOKED UP TO SEE TEMPERATURE GAUGE IN THE "H" RUNNING HOT. NO WARNING, NO DASHBOARD LIGHT WARNING. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD, CAR COOLED OFF DROVE HOME. POPPED HOOD, COOLANT IN RESERVOIR AND CHECKED OIL, OIL IN ENGINE. NEXT DAY, 10/15/02, STARTED CAR, STARTED FINE. NOTICED THE TEMP GAUGE WAS NOT MOVING OFF THE "C" FOR COLD, NO HEAT COMING FROM THE HEATER STARTED OFF TO WORK. WAS DOING ABOUT 68, WHEN CAR IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO DECELERATE AND IMMEDIATELY THE LITTLE "RED GENIE LOOKING OIL LAMP LIGHT" WENT ON. IMMEDIATELY PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD AS CAR WAS OBVIOUSLY LOOSING POWER. CALLED FOR TOW TRUCK. CAR WAS TOWED NOT TO THE SELLING DEALERSHIP BECAUSE OF ON-GOING SERVICE PROBLEMS, BUT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. I AUTHORIZED THEM TO CHECK THE ENGINE. THEY DID A COMPRESSION TEST AND TOLD ME "BLOWN HEAD GASKET." BUT THEY COULD NOT TELL IF ANY MORE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS DONE WITHOUT TEARING DOWN THE ENGINE. CAR WAS TOWED TWO DAYS LATER TO SELLING DEALERSHIP. ENGINE WAS TORN DOWN. THEIR RESPONSE, "ENGINE OVERHEATED" DOING SEVERE DAMAGE TO ENGINE. NO MENTION OF A HEAD GASKET BEING THE CAUSE OF THE ENGINE OVERHEATING. DEALER OFFERS TO DO NOTHING. IT IS NOW NOVEMBER 3, 2002 AND I STILL HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN ANY OPINIONS OR PRICES TO REPAIR THIS VEHICLE. DAIMLER CHRYSLER WAS NOTIFIED. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND DAIMLER CHRYSLER ON BEHALF OF THE DISTRICT MANAGER WHO SAY "THEY WILL DO NOTHING TO ASSIST; WON'T EVEN COME LOOK AT THE CAR. I NOW HAVE A 3-1/2 YEAR OLD CAR THAT IS UNDRIVEABLE. THIS IS A CAR THAT HAS HAD ITS SHARE OF ENGINE RELATED PROBLEMS IN THE PAST. IN RESEARCHING THE INTERNET, THE NHTSA, THE CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY AND JUST UNDER DODGE DEFECTS, I NOTE THAT THE STRATUS, CIRRUS AND NEONS HAVE A LONG, LONG HISTORY OF HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS. DT

CONSUMER STATES THAT BECAUSE OF A SEVERE GASOLINE LEAK, IT WAS NECESSARY TO REMOVE TEH GASOLINE TANK AND REPLACE THE LOCK RING AND SEAL LOCATED BETWEEN THE TANK AND THE FUEL PUMP. *JG *TS